Northern Land Council
NORTHERN LAND COUNCIL
The Northern Land Council (NLC) through its Caring for Country Unit (CFCU) provides practical, financial and in kind support to the Carpentaria Ghost Nets Programme. The NLC has provided administrative and advisory support to the program since its inception and continues to do so through its role as a steering committee member. A number of the participating Indigenous Ranger groups belong to a network of Sea Ranger programs supported by the CFCUs Caring for Sea Country Strategy.
Caring For Country
The approach of the NLC through its Caring for Country Unit is to work collaboratively with a range of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal agencies to build local capacity to institute effective management of land and sea resources. The role of the CFCU is to broker delivery of appropriate advice, education and training and resources for Aboriginal land and sea managers, based on good participatory planning. Effective control of weeds, fire and feral animals and marine management continue to be the core issues for natural resource management in the NLC region.
Caring for Sea Country
Aboriginal people comprise 28% of the Northern Territory population and hold title to approximately 85% of the Northern Territory’s coast. The seas and waters are a vital part of their cultural, spiritual and economic lives. For saltwater people, the sea is an extension of the land , in addition to se rights they have ongoing spiritual responsibilities for the many sacred sites and ceremonies that extend into the sea. Indigenous people have traditional hunting and gathering rights over sea country, which they continue to assert, as their coastal communities continue to depend on the marine resources of sustainably managed sea country. Traditional owners continue to undertake their management roles and responsibilities for sea country in the face of increased negative impacts such as marine debris, exponentially increasing commercial fishing effort, illegal fishers and the threat of marine pests. The NLCs Caring for Sea Country strategy was developed to address the major agendas of Traditional owners by planning and action to support and initiate the management of their sea country. A feature of this strategy has been the emergence of a community based “Sea Ranger” movement, with ten coastal ranger groups actively embracing the concept, and another four groups planning to establish their own sea ranger program, covering almost the entire NT coastline.
See the links page for more information on the NLC, the Caring for Country Unit, the Caring for Sea Country Strategy and the major resource management issues faced by the community based Rangers.
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